Monroe Police Union President Michael Calloway said he plans to offer Monroe Mayor Jamie Mayo "an olive branch" in a meeting scheduled for Tuesday following a fractious week between the rank and file and administration.

"Right now we're just trying to see if we can extend an olive branch and sit back down at the table together," Calloway said.

The simmering summer-long feud between police and Chief Quentin Holmes boiled over this week after the union issued a vote of no confidence in the chief Monday and Mayo fired back Tuesday by questioning the officers' professionalism.

When asked what the olive branch would be, Calloway said, "I'm not sure given the mayor's stance. I'm not sure where we can go from here, but the first thing we need to do is get back to the table."

Calloway said he will be joined by Mark Huggins, union vice president, at the meeting with Mayo.

Mayo said he welcomed the gesture.

"I think it's good to attempt to get back where I thought we were before they called for a vote of no confidence two days before our action plan was presented to address their concerns," the mayor said.

Plan came from survey

The action plan, which was crafted by the administration with input from the union leadership, was created following a internal survey showing a precipitous drop in department morale, with most of the criticism focused on Holmes.

It was to address concerns about communication and staffing decisions by Holmes, among other issues, although Calloway described the plan as "a lot of fluff."

Apparently the action plan, which was released July 17, hasn't even been distributed to the department's officers and staff by Holmes or the union leadership, another sign of a communication gap.

Calloway said he plans to discuss the plan at the union's next meeting, which he said will be scheduled sometime this month.

In the meantime, Calloway said Holmes isn't talking to union leadership.

"The chief said for now there's no need to meet with us," Calloway said. "He said to go through the mayor until things get straightened out."

"I didn't ask Chief Holmes not to meet with them, but I think that's appropriate while we're trying to resolve this," Mayo said. "They already officially said they have no confidence in him.

"It's important that we focus on the well-being of the citizens as a whole right now. We have to find common ground to rebuild."